Chapter 86

Chapter 86: Chapter 86

Kath’tan sat on the bed next to Dulce and offered his wrist. The Vampire took it carefully, as he always did, his head lowering to his cautiously cradled wrist. His gaze grew distant, barely feeling the nick of sharp, little teeth, his attention was pulled back when he noticed Dulce lifting his head shortly after biting down.

Dulce was wiping the quickly healed bite mark gently with his sleeve, cleaning away the faintest smudges of blood that feeding had left behind.

Kath’tan studied the Vampire; his bound hair was coming undone, his silver-blue eyes shifty. It was hard to miss the Vampire’s slightly rounded cheeks, and his eagerness to get off the bed and put on his shoes.

"Are you satisfied?" He asked gently, his fiery gaze softening for a moment.

Dulce straightened up after hastily putting on his shoes, nodding enthusiastically. He couldn’t speak because he had a mouthful of blood, one he only intended to swallow after he got to his room.

They were all exhausted after their lengthy journey, he didn’t want to take up the Demon’s bed, so he headed for the door in a hurry, trying not to give in to the urge to thank Kath’tan and accidentally swallow.

Kath’tan remained on the bed and watched Dulce scamper off, struck with the strange urge to capture him and fill him with his blood. He didn’t move from the bed, simply watching the Vampire stop at the doorway to give him a little wave before the closing door and obscuring his vision.

Dulce only got partway to his room when he bumped into an unexpected obstacle, he put a hand over his mouth, not wanting to mistakenly spit it out and waste Kath’tan’s generously given blood.

Asael had known when the Vampire left his room, and he had already figured out his intentions. He had no reason to join the feeding but he had been unable to sit still, he didn’t quite expect to run into Dulce.

"What’s wrong?" He asked directly, his gaze intense.

Dulce panicked, at a loss for how to resolve the situation. He couldn’t explain at the moment, but even if he went right to his room without giving an answer, he would be knocked out, leaving no room for an explanation.

Asael reached out to pull the Vampire’s hand away, his eyes narrowed. All that did was give him a clear view of the Vampire’s bulging cheeks and panicked eyes.

"What-" His questions trailed off when Dulce’s cheeks flattened, the Vampire falling forward in the next moment.

Asael stood in the hallway in silence for a few moments, dumbfounded. He held the sleeping Vampire, putting the pieces together. He sighed quietly, not really surprised, it was exactly like Dulce to steal a little sip of blood and return to his room so he wouldn’t take up the bed.

He picked him up and headed to the Vampire’s room, placing him on his bed. He went over the motions of taking off his shoes and placing the covers over him. By the time he glanced at the Vampire’s face once more, it had regained color. Warmth suffused his cheeks, a faint purple tint on his lips.

Asael took a step back, he should leave, return to his room and be plagued with his thoughts, unable to sleep. He should, but he didn’t, approaching Dulce once more undo the ties that bound his hair, even the pale strands seemed to be gaining color.

He sat on a chair next to the bed, his mind made up in a moment to spend the night in the Vampire’s room. His own blinding white hair was often in a tightly coiled braid to keep it out of the way, it was an indulgence of his.

He had to admit as the night quickly went by, that watching Dulce sleep was a far better time than having his thoughts for company.

In the early hours of the morning, shortly before Dulce roused, the room still held a dark figure, one that vanished away just before the Vampire on the bed woke.

Dulce was in a trance for an even shorter period this time, he got to his feet to get ready for the day sluicing down in cold water because he could better feel it shortly after feeding.

Ruoxi needed to eat and then they could resume the journey the next day after he was fully recovered, but before then, he had a few tasks to handle.

He went to Kath’tan’s room first, knocking timidly. The door opened after a beat to reveal the tall Fiend.

Kath’tan spoke before he did, "I offered, you don’t need to thank me." He said brusquely, the burning anger back in his eyes again.

Dulce stared up at the closed door in front of him, worrying that Kath’tan must be so angry all the time because of their permanent contract. He made his way to Asael’s room with determination, vowing to do everything he could to undo it.

The door to the Shadow Demon’s door opened just as he lifted a hand, he hadn’t even knocked yet.

Asael stood in the doorway, waiting expectantly. Dulce had his hair down, the gentle morning light from the open windows casting a gentle glow on his features.

"I wanted to explain last night," Dulce scratched his head self-consciously.

Asael already knew what had happened but he stayed silent anyway, listening to what the Vampire had to say.

"Kath’tan was kind enough to let me drink from him but I didn’t want to take up his bed, so I was hurrying to my room to lay down in time. Thank you for helping me to my room, I apologize for the inconvenience."

Asael had all but given up on ridding the Vampire of his bad habit of apologizing for everything, he lowered his gaze to Dulce’s face and then stared back into those open silver eyes. Ruoxi was about to take the warmth out of that striking face, he took a step back. "It’s alright." He said briefly, disappearing into his room.